Electrostatic yarn piecing device and method

ABSTRACT

IN COMBINATION WITH A YARN PIECING DEVICE HAVING A PROTRUDABLE NOSEPIECE FOR OFFERING ONE END OF BROKEN YARN TO ANOTHER, A YARN-ATTRACTING, ELECTROSTATICALLY CHARGED NOSEPIECE MEMBER AND AN ELECTROSTATIC YARN PIECING METHOD OF DISCLOSED. THE YARN ENDS, WHETHER ALIGNED OR WITH OFF-SET THREADLINES, ARE PICED BY ENCHANCED ELECTROSTATIC ATTRACTION THREBETWEEN. IN OPERATION, ONE END RELEASABLY HELD ON SAID MEMBER IS ADVANCED TO PIECING PROXIMITY OF SAID OTHER END, THE ENDS BEING THEN DRAWN TOGETHER BY ENCHANCED ELECTROSTATIC ATTRACTION, THE HELD END IS RELEASED AND THE ENDS PIECE THEMSELVES TO FORM A CONTINUOUS YARN STRAND. THE NOSEPIECE MEMBER MAY INHERENTLY POSSES A YARN-ATTRACTING ELECTROSTATIC CHARGE, AS IS THE CASE WHEN IT IS FORMED FROM POLYTETRAFLUOROETHYLENE AND THE ENDS TO BE PIECED ARE COTTON. ALTERNATELLY, THE NOSEPIECE MEMBRANE MAY BE ELECTROSTATICALLY CHARGED PRIOR TO OR CONCURRENTLY WITH THE PIECING OPERATIONS BY SOME CHARGING SOURCE OR DEVICE.

Dec. 7, 1971 w, ROWN 3,624,992

ELECTROSTATIC YARN PIECING DEVICE AND METHOD Filed March 2, 1970 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 /NVEN7'OR F1 4 HERBERT w. BROWN 19/5 AGE/V7 ELECTROSTATIC YARN PIECING DEVICE AND METHOD Filed March 2, 1970 H. w. BROWN Dec. 7, 1971 3 Sheets-Shoot 2 wvguraa HERBERT W. BROWN ///5 AGf/VT Dec. 7, 197 H. w. BROWN ELECTROSTATIC YARN PIECING DEVICE AND METHOD I5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 2, 1970 m/vfi/vrqn- HERBERT YV. BROWN BY Mzzm 1&3- 10 ///5 AGE/VT United States Patent O 3,624,992 ELECTROSTATIC YARN PIECING DEVICE AND METHOD Herbert W. Brown, Easley, S.C., assignor to Maremont Corporation, Chicago, Ill. Filed Mar. 2, 1970, Ser. No. 15,639 Int. Cl. D01h 15/00 US. Cl. 5734 R 25 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In combination with a yarn piecing device having a protrudable nosepiece for offering one end of broken yarn to another, a yarn-attracting, electrostatically charged nosepiece member and an electrostatic yarn piecing method are disclosed. The yarn ends, whether aligned or with off-set threadlines, are pieced by enhanced electrostatic attraction therebetween. In operation, one end releasably held on said member is advanced to piecing proximity of said other end, the ends being then drawn together by enhanced electrostatic attraction, the held end is released and the ends piece themselves to form a continuous yarn strand. The nosepiece member may inherently possess a yarn-attracting electrostatic charge, as is the case when it is formed from polytetrafiuoroethylene and the ends to be pieced are cotton. Alternately, the nosepiece member may be electrostatically charged prior to or concurrently with the piecing operations by some charging source or device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to yarn piecing devices generally used in the joining of separated or broken yarn ends. Usually the break to be repaired occurs between some yarn delivery assembly such as the delivery rolls of a textile machine and some yarn take up device such as a package former, e.g. a rotatable spindle assembly as present on spinning, twisting and winding frames. In particular, this invention relates to an improved protrudable nosepiece of an automatic yarn piecing device which nosepiece contains a yarn-engaging or entraining angular or arcuate member such as a roller, forked guide, plate or the like which has a yarn entraining surface which is capable of retaining a yarn-attracting electrostatic charge relative to the yarn ends to be pieced. Further, this invention relates to a method for aiding the joining of broken yarn ends by means of electrostatic charge attraction of yarn ends.

For the purposes of this invention, yarn is defined to include any strand-like structure which is electrostatically attractable and in an elongate form such as a thread, fiber, filament, roving, sliver, yarn and the like which may be of natural and/or of man-made derivation, including combinations and/or aggregations thereof in the elongate form. Electrostatically charged, for the purposes herein is defined as the state of actually possessing an electrostatic charge whether previously induced or inherently possessed by the very nature of the materials in such charged state. Piecing proximity is here defined as a spaced distance between ends to be joined within which piecing is effected or effectable using the present invention.

The art has disclosed sundry and varied piecing devices which may be substantially improved through the present invention. They include, for example, those shown or described in United States Letters Patent No. 3,349,- 451; Re. 26 230; 3,373,551; 3,398,522; 3,403,866; 3,445,- 997; and 3,486 319; pending US. patent application, Ser. No. 846,681, filed on Aug. 1, 1969; British patent specification No. 294,148; French Letters Patent No. 1,461,680; Japanese patent publications No. 5,674/ 1960; 8,124/ 1960; 11,464/1960; 12,866/1961; 4,716/1963; 25,430/1964;

"ice

10,457/1965; 4,820/1966; and 5,542/1966; and 16,915/ 1968; and Japanese Utility Model patent publication No. 22,920/ 1964.

A problem common to all such prior art piecing devices lay in the often occurring misalignment or off-set of the thread lines of yarn ends to be joined. Such longitudinal off-set of the ends during the piecing operations of such devices frequently results in either their non-piecing or an unsatisfactory weak piecing, depending upon the extent of such off-set. Thus, if alignment of the clamped end entrained over the protrudable piecing nosepiece is off-set in threadline from the other broken end issuing from the yarn delivery assembly, or vice versa by as little as onesixty-fourth of an inch piecing contact of one with the other is either missed completely or somewhat off-set resulting in the aforesaid undesirable results.

A yet further problem exists with piecing devices which employ a roller or the like as the nosepiece member effective in bringing the broken ends into piecing contact. After repeated piecings, lint-like accumulations tend to accrete between the roller and its supporting shaft, which in time prevent roller rotation and result in functional inorperativeness of the piecing nosepiece and thus nonpiecing or weak piecing of yarn ends.

In those piecing devices employing a suction device to hold the broken yarn end issuing from the delivery assemblage in piecing position where staple fiber yarn is that to be pieced, the additional problem exists of irretrievable loss of fibers separate by the suction device from the yarn, which loss over numerous piecing operations may be substantial.

It is to be remedy of these substantial difficulties that the present invention is directed.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION Thus it is a broad object of this invention ot provide an improved yarn piecing device nosepiece which assures consistent, strong piecing despite misalignment or off-set of threadlines of the broken yarn ends to be joined and a method therefor.

Another object of this invention is to provide, in combination with a nosepiece having a yarn entraining element protruded therefrom, a yarn-attracting electrostatically charged surface for effecting consistent, strong piecing of broken yarn ends despite misalignment of their threadlines.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a piecing device with a yarn-entraining electrostatically charged roller nosepiece element which maintains itself free of otherwise incapacitating lint or fiber accumulations.

A further object of this invention is to provide an electrostatically charged piecing device nosepiece which, in operation, tends to reduce the otherwise irretrievable loss of fibers from staple yarn ends being pieced.

These and other desirable objects of the invention are inherent in and/ or will become apparent from the description which follows.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It has now been found that the joining of broken yarn ends with one another is greatly facilitated by providing an enhancing means for electros'tatically-attracting one yarn end to the other during the piecing operation. According to the present invention, this is accomplished through the combination of an automatic piecing device of any of the types Well known to the art which employs a protrudable nosepiece, and an element thereof over which one broken yarn end is entrained and/or clamped, said element containing an electrostatically charged yarntraining surface. In operation, one yarn end is entrained over the yarn-attracting, electrostatically charged training surface of the nosepiece element, such surface bearing a yarn-attracting electrostatic charge due to the nature of its materials of construction and/or to an induced charge imparted to it. The nosepiece is advanced to a point proximal the other broken yarn end to be pieced such that the two ends to be joined are close to one another. The charged training surface in such position attracts the other or un-entrained yarn end. Piecing then consistently ensues upon the withdrawal of the nosepiece from its advanced position, the trained end being unclamped from its entrained position at that time. It has been further discovered that consistent piecing occurs with the device and method of this invention despite a misalignment of the threadlines and thus a spacing between the two ends to be joined, wherein the ends are ofi-set or spaced from one another by even as much as one-eighth inch when the nosepiece is at its closest position to the un-entrained yarn end.

While it is as yet not fully understood why, in general, yarn ends piece together upon presenting one to the other in piecing contact, such as in engaging contact, nor why, in particular, misaligned ends normally out of such engaging contact will piece themselves in accordance with the process of this invention by means of the device of the present invention, it is believed that in effecting the piecing operation there exists between the yarn end fibers a small electrostatic attraction normally inherent thereto and, in addition, in staple yarns a twist or in continuous filaments a crimped twist; imparted to the yarns during textile processing which imparts some difference in torsional tension fiber-to-adjacent-fiber. It is further believed that, generally, when two yarn ends to be joined are brought into contact the fibers in the two ends tend to mutually untwist at least partially due to a release of torsional tension and intertwine to form a joined or pieced yarn. Ordinarily, the ends to be joined in order to piece satisfactorily must be in such close proximity that they contact one another such as in an overlay of their threadlines, since the forces of untwist-intertwining are effective only over extremely small distances, say of the order of thousandths of an inch. Thus, ordinarily it is observed, any misalignment or off-set of the ends of their threadlines which prevents such contact will frustrate or obviate successful piecing. However, according to the invention, if the normally small mutually attracting forces between the yarn ends are substantially enhanced by imparting to at least one of the yarn ends, preferably the end entrained over and releasably clamped to the piecing device nosepiece, an electrostatic yarn-attracting charge, then the entrained yarn end upon reaching a position spaced laterally or longitudinally from the other end by as much as one-eighth inch will attract the other end to it and be pieced therewith. Although the device and method of the present invention appear to operate by some theoretically proposed mechanism such as has just been described, it is to be understood that that efiicaceous functioning of the present invention is not bound to nor limited by any particular theroretical explanation.

According to the invention, the present yarn-entraining surface is electrostatically charged with a yarn-attracting charge. This charge may be inherently present due to the very nature of the materials of construction of the surface, such as, it has been discovered, a surface of polytetrafluoroethylene polymer or resin which appears to have inherently an ever present yarn-attracting charge with some material which would induce a yarn-attractly, according to the invention, the yarn-entraining surface may be provided with a yarn-attracting charge induced by any of the presently known means or methods therefor, such as frictional charging by an intermittant rubbing of the surface prior to reaching piecing proximity with some material which would induce a yarn-atrracting charge thereon, or by electrically inducing a yarnattracting electrostatic surface charge by using some charging source or means such as a battery or some other direct current source. In this embodiment one may prefer to electrically insulate the surface-bearing element from other components of the piecing device so as to minimize premature discharge or leakage and maintain a capacitance surface charge for the short period needed between charge inducement and piecing. Therein, the materials of construction of the surface-bearing elements would be of suitable dielectric value to retain such imparted electrostatic surface charge at least for a short interval between the time of charge inducement and the attainment of piecing proximity.

DRAWINGS A fuller appreciation of the various features of the present invention and a better understanding of its mode of operation may be had through explanations which follow when taken in conjunction with the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows, in partial perspective view, an electrostatically-charged entraining roller element of the invention with its supporting arms and roller shaft therebetween, the latter in phantom lines.

FIG. 2 is a section of the roller element of FIG. 1 taken approximately along line 2'2, showing an embodiment wherein the roller body and entraining surface are intergral and comprised of an electrostatically-charged, yarnattracting material.

*FIG. 3 is a section similar to that in FIG. 2, taken approximately along line 3-3 of FIG. 1, showing an embodiment of the roller having a metal roller body covered by a sleeve formed with an electrostaticallycharged, yarn-attracting resinous material.

FIG. 4, in like manner to FIGS. 2 and 3, is a section taken approximately along line 4-4 of FIG. 1 showing an embodiment having a metal roller body covered with a film or a coating formed with an electrostaticallycharged, yarn-attracting resinous material.

FIG. 5, in partial perspective vie-w, shows a roller element similar to that in FIG. 1 formed of an electrostatically-charged material which is electrostatically insulated from the roller support arms so as to minimize charge dissipation through leakage.

FIG. 6, in partial perspective view, shows a roller element construction similar to that in FIG. 5, but, including between the roller body and insulating discs, charging discs with leads to a charging source through which the roller surface may obtain an induced charge.

FIG. 7, in partial side elevation, shows a protrudable piecing device nosepiece containing a yarn-entraining, electrostatically-charged roller of the invention and yarn clamping means in open position.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the delivery assembly of a textile machine and a broken yarn end issuing therefrom retained in an off-set threadline position by a vacuum source, and further shows a portion of a protruding piecing device nosepiece with a roller of the invention having an entrained yarn end clamped thereabout, in rubbing engagement with a frictional charge-inducing rod.

FIG. 9, in fragmentary perspective view, shows the nosepiece of FIG. 8 advanced to closer proximity to the delivery assembly, wherein the roller surface is now out of engagement With the charge-inducing rod.

FIG. 10, in like view to FIGS. 8 and 9, shows the nosepiece in piecing proximity to the off-set delivery yarn end, such end being drawn into piecing alignment with the roller entrained yarn end according to the invention.

FIG. 11, in similar view to FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, shows the now aligned ends pieced to a yarn strand, the entrained end unclamped and the protrudable nosepiece withdrawn.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In general, a strand of yarn extending between the yarn delivery assembly of a textile machine and some yarn take-up device during processing may separate to form two yarn ends to be pieced. In prior steps to those shown in the drawings, a piecing device such as those aforementioned, containing an extensible or protrudable nosepiece containing a roller 10 for entraining and releasably holding thereover a yarn end, upon detection of the end down is positioned adjacent the delivery assembly and the take-up device; the piecing device locates the end on the take-up device, withdraws a portion of this yarn and then entrains it over the roller as in FIG. 7. Therein, yarn end B is positioned over the nosepiece assemblage of the piecing device so as be entrained over roller 10 on the yarn-attracting, electrostatically chargeable surface 16 thereof, roller 10 being supported for free rotation about its supporting shaft 14, which shaft 14 in turn is supported at each end thereof by a roller supporting arm 12 fixed to a nosepiece supporting member 28; supporting member 28 is connected to other components of the piecing device (not shown) and mounted so as to be extensible toward the delivery assembly of said textile machine and withdrawable therefrom during piecing operations. Intermediate roller 10 and member 28, a bifurcate yarn guide 32 supported by support arms 12 is fixed thereto so as to guide, align and center the positioning of yarn end B over chargeable surface 16. Support member 28, at its upper surface bears a yarn clamping jaw 30 and intermediate its ends also supports a clamping arm 24 which is pivotably attached thereto (not shown) and in a normally open or swung away position prior to the piecing operation. Clamping arm 24 bears at its outer extremity a yarn holding and severing jaw 26 so as to provide between jaws 26, 30 a yarn clamping and yarn-tail severing bite upon the pivoted closing of arm 24 toward arm 28 as shown in subsequent figures.

With reference to FIGS. 1 to 6, roller 10 of the invention comprises electrostatically-charged surface 16 borne by a roller body 18 pierced axially therethrough by a channel to accommodate roller shaft 14, said shaft 14 being supported at each end for free rotation of roller 10 thereabout by supporting arms 12 of the nosepiece. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, respective surfaces 216, 316 and 416 are formed of a resinous material which is electrostatically charged as hereinbefore defined. Such material in the instance of piecing cotton yarn ends preferably is polytetrafiuoroethylene which, it is now discovered, inherently possesses an efiicacious yarn-attracting electrostatic surface charge with respect thereto. In FIG. 2, roller body 218 and surface 216 are integral. In FIG. 3, roller body 318 is of another structural material, such as metal covered with a sleeve 319 bearing surface 316 of such material. In FIG. 4, roller body 418 is similar to body 318 and is covered by either a coating 419 or a film 419 bearing surface 416 of such a charged material.

In certain embodiments, roller surfaces 216, 316 and 416 may be fabricated of a material which, if not inherently possessing a yarn-attracting electrostatic charge with respect to the yarn ends to be pieced, would possess the quality of being charged by some charging source with a yarn-attracting, electrostatic charge with respect to the yarn ends to be pieced. Such charge may be induced, as aforementioned, by any of the methods well known to the art. In these instances, constructions as exemplarily shown in FIGS. 5 or 6 may be employed. In FIG. 5, intermediate each of the fiat ends of roller body 518 and its corresponding support arm 12 a static-charge insulating disc 520 is interposed in order to minimize the tendency for charge leakage from roller surface 516 to arms 12, thus to enhance retention of an induced yarn-attracting charge on surface 516 during the piecing operation. In FIG. 6 is shown an embodiment wherein roller 10, with body portion 618 and yarn-entraining surface 616 of any of the aforementioned types, is separated from each of roller supporting arms 12 at its opposing flat ends by a staticcharge insulating disc 620 and by a charging disc 622 abutting roller body 618, disc 622 being usually of an electrically conductive material such as metal. Connected to each charging disc 622 is an electric lead wire 623 which in turn is joined to a charging source C for inducing a yarn-attracting electrostatic charge on yarnentraining surface 616. The aforesaid source may be, for example, a battery or other charge-inducing or electricpotential inducing circuitry.

Among the more common materials which may be used to form the present yarn-entraining electrostatically charged surface of the piecing device angular or arcuate nosepiece member are those which may be organic and resinous in nature, or ceramic or glassy in nature; but however the surface is fabricated and whether smooth or otherwise and of whatever materials used therein, it is critical to the practice of this invention that such yarnentraining surface be capable of retaining a yarn-attracting electrostatic charge thereon at least until the piecing device nosepiece has moved the protruding entrained and clamped yarn end to be pieced into piecing proximity to the yarn end to be pieced therewith. For present purposes, piecing proximity is further defined as the effective distance between yarn ends to be pieced wherein piecing forces, such as electrostatic attraction and the aforementioned unwind-intertwining, may take effect. With respect to the present invention, piecing proximity often may be as great as one-eighth to one-fourth of an inch separation between said yarn ends.

One simple method for roller surface charge inducement is that of FIG. 8 wherein surface 16 of roller 10 is rubbed against a rod 31 covered with a electrostatic charge-inducing material 33, which thereby induces a yarn-attracting electrostatic charge on surface 16 as the yarn piecing device advances its protrudable nosepiece toward delivery rolls 34, 36 of a textile machine.

However the charge is provided, inherently or induced, as nosepiece roller surface 16 hearing such charge and yarn end B entrained thereover approach yarn end D of FIG. 9, said charge tends to attract yarn end D toward yarn end B along the threadline of the former between where it issues from delivery rolls 34, 36 and enters vacuum orifice 38 of vacuum cleaning tube 40. In this and FIG. 10, the threadline of yarn end D is shown to be somewhat off-set laterally from alignment with the entrained threadline of yarn end B. Prior to this invention, yarn ends D, B in such orientation would not piece satisfactorily or at all. In FIG. 10, yarn end B has been advanced by the nosepiece to within piecing proximity of the off-set threadline of yarn end D and is observed to attract yarn end D to it to elfect contact therewith. Concomitant with such contact, in FIG. 11, arm 24 is swung upward and jaw 26 out of bite with jaw 30, thus unclamping or releasing the now pieced yarn strand P, and the entire nosepiece assembly is withdrawn or retracted from proximity of delivery rolls 34, 36 by some actuating means (not shown) of the piecing device.

OTHER FEATURES Repeated piecings of staple fiber yarn ends by the here inbefore described electrostatically charged roller embodiments of the invention, it is observed, produce little if any accumulation or accretion of fibers at points of contact between the roller body and its shaft, and between the roller shaft and its points of attachment to the roller support arms. In non-electrostatically charged roller nosepieces of the prior art, however, it is further observed that after repeated piecings of staple fiber yarn ends, there is a substantial accretion of fibers at the aforesaid points of contact, and in time, the roller is prevented thereby from freely rotating, thus incapacitating the nosepiece. In the prior art, to remedy this, the roller, its shaft and the roller support arms had to be cleaned manually after dismantling the nosepiece by removal of the roller and shaft. The unpredictability of occurrence of such incapacitating accretion and thus the inability to predict when the piecing device should be cleaned forbad any sensible cleaning schedule; this, coupled with the downtime of the piecing device needed for dismantlement and cleaning heretofore has presented substantial disadvantage in the use of such prior art piecing devices. Thus it is to be seen that the self-cleaning feature of the present invention provides a substantial advance to the art.

When embodiments of the invention are employed with a delivery assembly of a textile machine wherein the threadline of an issuing broken staple yarn end (such as D in the drawings) is positioned by a suction or vacuum cleaning device (such as 38, 40- in FIGS. 8 to 11), it is observed that piecing is consistently effected, and that yarn fibers in such threadline and loose fibers are drawn toward the charged nosepiece roller. These two complementary effects, it is further observed, tend to reduce the otherwise irretrievable loss of staple fibers to the cleaning device, first by making repeated piecing attempts unnecessary and second by such attraction; thus, the time interval to effect successful piecing is minimized, saving all fibers which otherwise would have been withdrawn by vacuum between repeated piecing attempts. It is to be noted that such savings, even in a single piecing operation, may indeed be substantial in view of the very high yarn delivery rates at which modern textile machines process and spew out their fibrous product.

The electrostatically charged nosepiece member of the invention may have other configurations beyond those shown in the drawings. For example, the yarn-training member may, generally, be arcuate or angular. Specifically. the member may be bifurcate with a Y, U, V or inverted V configuration in certain embodiments, or any variation thereof. In other embodiments, it may be in the form of a plate or rod, the edge or surfaces of which may function as the electrostatically charged, yarn-entraining surface. Yet other configurations which may so function will readily be obvious to those knowledgeable in the art from the foregoing descriptions and explanations.

In those embodiments employing a charging means to induce a yarn-attracting, electrostatic charge on the yarn offering nosepiece member of the invention, the means may be continuously connectable thereto as in the instance of that shown in FIG. 6, or only intermittantly connectable thereto as is shown in FIG. 8. Further, the charging means may be continuously operable or only intermittantly operable with the member such as in FIG. 6, and in the embodiment of FIG. 8 when the charging means circuit is closed only for an interval sufficient to induce an effective electrostatic charge on the member and at yet other times, though still physically connected, is opened as by a switch or the like.

That which is claimed is:

1. In combination with a yarn piecing apparatus having anosepiece device for offering one end of yarn to another to effect piecing to form a continuous yarn strand, a yarn-proffering nosepiece member which is in an electrostatically charged state with a yarn attracting charge, wherein said member bears an electrostatically charged, yarn-entraining surface.

2. The combination as in claim 1 wherein said charged surface is arcuate.

3. The combination as in claim 1 wherein said charged surface is angular.

4. The combination as in claim 1 wherein said charged surface is formed of polytetrafluoroethylene.

5. The combination as in claim 1 wherein said charged member is bifurcate.

6. The combination as in claim 1 wherein said charged member is cylindrical.

7. The combination as in claim 6 wherein said charged cylindrical member is a freely rotatable roller.

8. The combination as in claim 1 wherein said charged surface is integral with said member.

9. The combination as in claim 1 wherein said charged member comprises a non-electrostatically chargeable, structurally supportive body element covered by a yarnattracting, electrostatically charged element bearing said yarn-entraining surface.

10. The combination as in claim 9 wherein said charged element is formed of polytetrafiuoroethylene.

11. The combination as in claim 9 wherein said charged element is in the form of a sleeve.

12.. The combination as in claim 9 wherein said charged element is in the form of a film.

13. The combination as in claim 9 wherein said charged element is in the form of a coating.

14. In a yarn piecing apparatus having a nosepiecedevice for offering one end of yarn to another to effect piecing to form a continuous yarn strand, the improvement, in combination, comprising:

a yarn-proffering nosepiece member which is electrostatically chargeable with a yarn-attracting, electrostatic charge; and

charging means for inducing said yarn-attracting charge on said member, said means being at least intermittantly connectable to and operable with said member.

15. The improvement as in claim 14 wherein said charging means is continuously connected to said member.

16. The improvement as in claim 14 wherein said charging means is continuously operable with said member.

17. The improvement as in claim 14 wherein said charging means is operable by rubbing engagement with said member.

18. The improvement as in claim 14 wherein said charging means includes an element which acts as a source of electrical potential.

19. A method for piecing yarn ends comprising:

releasably holding a yarn end on a surface charged with a yarn-attracting, electrostatic charge;

proffering said yarn end and surface to another yarn end to be joined therewith;

advancing said held yarn end and said charged surface toward said other yarn end to a piecing proximity;

electrostatically attracting said other yarn end to said held yarn end; and

releasing said held yarn end from said surface, whereby said yarn ends piece to form a continuous yarn strand.

20. A method as in claim 19 wherein said yarn ends during said proifering have their threadlines off-set from one another.

21. A method as in claim 20 further including electrostatically charging said surface.

22. A method as in claim 21 wherein said charging is induced by rubbing.

23. A method as in claim 20 wherein said charged surface comprises polytetrafluoroethylene.

24. A method as in claim 23 wherein said yarn ends comprise cotton.

25. A method as in claim 21 wherein said charging is induced by imposing a difference of electrical potential across said surface.

, References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,466,862 9/1969 Artamonova et al. 5'734 R JOHN PETRAKES, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 57-15 6 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3, 2 2 Dated December 7 1971 Inventor(s) Herbert W. Brown It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

C01, 2, line 1, "and 5,542/1966" should read and 15,542/ 1966 line 23, "orperativeness" should read operativeness line 29, "separate" should read separated Col. 3, line 4-2, "ends of" should read ends or and lines 66 to 72 should be deleted, and the following should be read in their place,

- with respect to cotton and certain other yarns. Alternately, according to the invention, the yarn-entraining surface may be provided with a yarn-attracting charge induced by any of the presently known means or methods therefor, such as frictional charging by an intermittant rubbing of the surface prior to reaching piecing proximity with some material which would induce a yarn-attract- Signed and sealed this 22nd day of August 1972.

(SEAL) Xttest 3 SDWARD lhFLE'FCHERE'JR. ROBE T GOTTSCHALK kttesting Officer Commissioner of Patents "(M050 USCOMM-DC 60376-PB9 is GGVERHMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1955 3653Jl 

